The present invention relates to a method for operating a machine from the field of automation engineering. The invention further relates to a corresponding system for operating a machine from the field of automation engineering, to a control device for a machine from the field of automation engineering, and to a device for operating a machine from the field of automation engineering.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
In the context of machines from the field of automation engineering, such as e.g. machine tools, production machines and/or robots, it is customary for the MMI software (Machine-Machine Interface) which allows the machine to be operated to run on the same hardware, i.e. on the same processor or processors, as the control software for the machine. In this case, the MMI software is also referred to as HMI software (Human-Machine Interface) in a technical context. This means that any upgrade that is required in respect of the MMI software generally requires a shutdown of the machine. Therefore, if new MMI software is to be installed on the control device of the machine, the new MMI software has to be installed on the control device by an operator of the machine, in particular by an installation technician. For this, it is usually necessary to shut down the machine for the duration of the upgrade process as mentioned previously. During the upgrade process, it is not generally possible to operate the machine via the MMI software. If the machine is part of a production chain, an upgrade of the MMI software can therefore signify a complete production stoppage. If the upgrade is not successful, additional machine downtime will be required in order to de-install the MMI software upgrade.
If the new MMI software also requires more resources (e.g. more storage space, more computing time, etc.) than the MMI software that was previously used, further time will have to be spent on the installation of more powerful hardware. The disadvantages cited above often discourage the more efficient machine operation offered by new MMI software, because the resulting advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages that would be incurred due to the production stoppage.
When the MMI software is in use, the operating efficiency of the machine is heavily dependent on the performance characteristics of the control device of the machine. However, machines from the field of automation engineering are acquired successively over a long period, and therefore they have different performance characteristics due to the development progress of the control hardware. However, the machine operator often prefers the same MMI software to run on all of the control devices of the machines concerned, in order to allow uniformity of operation. This is often not possible in the case of older machines due to the less powerful hardware of the control devices, however, and therefore an upgrade of the hardware becomes necessary in the case of older machines.
It should be noted at this point that the term “operate” is also understood to mean “monitor” and “manage” in the context of the present application.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to obviate prior art shortcomings and to provide an improved method for improving the performance characteristics relative to the operation of a machine from the field of automation engineering, without increasing the demands on the hardware of the machine.